It would have been too dark too dark—too dark altogether…” (Conrad 117). This quote explains how Marlow feels after working in the Congo. He found that his work in the Congo exemplified man’s true nature. He tells this to passengers on a voyage away from Britain. In Heart of Darkness; Joseph Conrad reveals how living outside the restraints of civilization exposes a man’s heart of darkness. Kurtz shows what living outside the restrictions of society can do to a man’s morality, civility, and sanity. After staying in the Congo, Kurtz loses all aspects of morality when fulfilling his job which is collecting ivory. The Russian exemplifies Kurtz’s moral degradation, “He declared he would shoot me unless I gave him the ivory…” (84). Greed for
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When Kurtz died, Marlow heard his last words, but lies to his fiancé and tells her that “the last word he pronounced was—your name” (116). The Congo stripped Kurtz of his morality and his civility too. When Marlow arrives at the last station, he questions the Russian about the heads mounted outside Kurtz’s windows. The Russian responds “these heads were the heads of rebels” (88). Marlow laughs because he thinks “those rebellious heads looked very subdued to me on their sticks” (88). Kurtz lost his sense of civility and displayed his loss when he mounted the heads of rebels outside his windows. He tried to join the savage dances outside his hut, but Marlow “tried to break the spell—the heavy, mute spell of the wilderness—that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breast by the awakening gratified and monstrous passions” (99). Kurtz fell into native customs, lost his civility, and his sanity. The Russian tells Marlow when Kurtz goes into the bush and “go off on another ivory hunt; disappear for weeks; forget himself among these people—forget himself—you know” (85). Marlow states that Kurtz is mad. In this assumption Marlow was correct. Kurtz had lost all sense of what …show more content…
His opinion about the natives was displayed when “A nigger was beaten near by. They said he had caused the fire in someway…” (34). His only use for the natives was for free labor. The natives were his slaves and were used to show his contempt for the white people, “He allowed his ‘boy’—and overfed young negro from the coast—to treat the white men, under his very eyes, with provoking insolence”(32). The manager not only shows contempt for the ordinary worker for the company, but also to Kurtz. He showed blatant dislike for everyone he met. When Marlow traverses to gather Kurtz in a mission to save his life, the manager fakes his like for Kurtz and tells him that he is coming to save him. Kurtz sees this, and balks, because ivory is the manager’s only passion, “Save me!—save the ivory you mean,” (93). After the manager leaves Kurtz’s hut, “he considered it necessary to sigh, but neglected to be consistently sorrowful,” (93). The manager discusses Kurtz’s mental and physical health with Marlow. The manager continues to scorn Kurtz and his methods. When Marlow defends Kurtz, he classifies Marlow with Kurtz and Marlow found himself “lumped along with Kurtz as a partisan of methods for which the time was not ripe: I was unsound!” (94). The manager shows how living outside of society can affect relationships with other
When Kurtz died, Marlow heard his last words, but lies to his fiancé and tells her that “the last word he pronounced was—your name” (116). The Congo stripped Kurtz of his morality and his civility too. When Marlow arrives at the last station, he questions the Russian about the heads mounted outside Kurtz’s windows. The Russian responds “these heads were the heads of rebels” (88). Marlow laughs because he thinks “those rebellious heads looked very subdued to me on their sticks” (88). Kurtz lost his sense of civility and displayed his loss when he mounted the heads of rebels outside his windows. He tried to join the savage dances outside his hut, but Marlow “tried to break the spell—the heavy, mute spell of the wilderness—that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breast by the awakening gratified and monstrous passions” (99). Kurtz fell into native customs, lost his civility, and his sanity. The Russian tells Marlow when Kurtz goes into the bush and “go off on another ivory hunt; disappear for weeks; forget himself among these people—forget himself—you know” (85). Marlow states that Kurtz is mad. In this assumption Marlow was correct. Kurtz had lost all sense of what …show more content…
His opinion about the natives was displayed when “A nigger was beaten near by. They said he had caused the fire in someway…” (34). His only use for the natives was for free labor. The natives were his slaves and were used to show his contempt for the white people, “He allowed his ‘boy’—and overfed young negro from the coast—to treat the white men, under his very eyes, with provoking insolence”(32). The manager not only shows contempt for the ordinary worker for the company, but also to Kurtz. He showed blatant dislike for everyone he met. When Marlow traverses to gather Kurtz in a mission to save his life, the manager fakes his like for Kurtz and tells him that he is coming to save him. Kurtz sees this, and balks, because ivory is the manager’s only passion, “Save me!—save the ivory you mean,” (93). After the manager leaves Kurtz’s hut, “he considered it necessary to sigh, but neglected to be consistently sorrowful,” (93). The manager discusses Kurtz’s mental and physical health with Marlow. The manager continues to scorn Kurtz and his methods. When Marlow defends Kurtz, he classifies Marlow with Kurtz and Marlow found himself “lumped along with Kurtz as a partisan of methods for which the time was not ripe: I was unsound!” (94). The manager shows how living outside of society can affect relationships with other